Attorney Elizabeth Houghton LaGreca began partnering with Immigration Equality in 2018 to assist her client, a Haitian LGBTQ male, in seeking asylum and obtaining work authorization in the United States. The client first came to the United States in June 2013 and had already been waiting five years for asylum status, as his deportation hearing had been repeatedly delayed and he had experienced turnover with pro bono counsel.

In April 2019, shortly before the client's hearing, the immigration judge assigned to his case took a sudden administrative leave and rescheduled the hearing for nearly four years later, to take place on February 10, 2023. During that time, with assistance from Epstein Becker Green attorney Catherine Kang, Elizabeth and Immigration Equality sought to secure the client’s presence in the United States by applying for Temporary Protected Status as a Haitian national and obtaining work authorization for him every two years.

Finally, in February 2023, Elizabeth and Immigration Equality appeared at a deportation hearing before the immigration judge, in which they had to defend the client against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts to remove him due to his illegal entry into the country. They successfully established that the client qualified for asylum status due to his protected social group, past persecution in Haiti, and well-founded fear of persecution should he be forced to return to Haiti. The judge granted the asylum application at the close of the hearing, and the client was incredibly emotional, as he had waited nearly 10 years for that life-changing decision. For Elizabeth, it has been five years of extremely rewarding work to partner with Immigration Equality and to assist this particular client.